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Khanna panel report paints a grim picture about the Capital

Sandeep Joshi

`Over 55 per cent of Delhi's residents are living in unauthorised colonies, slums'

NEW DELHI: Though the Centre might have started studying the Khanna Committee report to find out an answer to the vexed problem of unauthorised constructions and illegal commercialisation in the Capital, the report itself paints a grim picture clearly underlining the fact that the Union Government has on its hands a daunting task ahead.

Highlighting the gross failure of various civic agencies in developing civic infrastructure of the Capital over the years, the report states that over 55 per cent of Delhi's residents are living in unauthorised colonies and slums.

Similarly, about 60-70 per cent residential units across the Capital have some kind of unauthorised constructions.

"Even though no scientific survey has been carried out, a hurried sample survey conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi recently suggests that in about 60-70 per cent of the residential units, some portion(s) of the building could be unauthorised and/or in violation of the permissible use," mentions the report.

Talking about unauthorised colonies, the report states that according to the note of the MCD, as against the 438 regular and approved colonies in January 1994, there were as many as 1,641 unauthorized colonies awaiting regularisation. There are also 60 re-settlement colonies established by the Slum & JJ Wing of the MCD, inhabited by nearly 15-lakh people. The unauthorised colonies account for a population of nearly 35 lakhs.

Over and above these, there are another 30-lakh people estimated to be living in six-lakh jhuggies spread over 1,200 jhuggi-jhopri clusters.

Highlighting the prevailing general scenario, the report states that starting with just about seven-lakh people at the time of partition, the Capital's current population has crossed 1.45-crore, reflecting a nearly 20-fold increase. Whereas during the same period, the country's population has seen only three-fold increase -- from 35 crores to 110 crores.

Coming down heavily on the Delhi Development Authority, the Committee has stated that the agency has only been able to provide 1/5th- 1/6th of developed commercial sites during the first 40 years of the city's planned development under its aegis.

"While there are over five-lakh shopkeepers in Delhi, the DDA has at best been able to provide only one-lakh shops in the district, community and local shopping centres. This means that nearly 80 per cent of the shops are presently operating from areas not formally designated for this purpose," the report adds.

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